Hello ePals Members,

We are less than one hour away from President-elect Barack Obama becoming the United States' first African American President. This historic moment is the culmination of the dreams and aspirations of many who worked tirelessly to make this day possible. My colleague, Mr. Kofi Handon and I teach at the Howard University Middle School of Mathematics and Science located in Washington, DC on the historic Howard University campus. Through research, our students developed a number of contest entries for ePals the Presidential Minute Contest, many of them are featured in the Best of 6th-8th entries. 

Some of the issues our students covered included healthcare, unemployment, renewable energy, the war in Iraq, and education. We will continue to monitor the first 100 days of the new President-elect's administration. We are extremely optimistic and look forward to the implementation of his agenda. Moreover, we are extremely excited about new ways the youth can become involved in their communities through community service. Our students will serve as ePal Inauguration correspondents this week. We will check the blog daily and we look forward to hearing from you!

Ms. Rebecca Christian

English Language Arts Teacher/Reading Specialist

Howard University Middle School of Mathematics and Science, Washington, DC